Take Offs and Landings

Is your desire for ease and comfort just fear in disguise? Disrupting our comfort zone can actually free us and allow for adventure.

I tend to pay more for direct flights because I don’t like turbulence at take offs and landings. Landings make me a bit queasy, and changing flights delay travel time, and yet we are allowed to explore a new airport—always a reflection of the city's vibe. We may end up talking to a new stranger on the next flight and have a soulful discussion about something unexpected. And then of course we may place our headphones on as to avoid talking to anyone. Which person are you? 😄

While some of us may avoid take-offs and landings in our lives—aiming to have a smooth ride, a comfortable status quo—others are diving head first into exploration and adventure.

Could taking a risk on a bumpier ride lead us to a better place? Expand our view? We may sit next to new people, make twice the number of observations, say double the hellos and goodbyes; basically, more life.

Some of us bring this same mentality of ease to the choices we make in our careers, in love, in friendship, our daily routines. But why? Is it truly for ease? Sometimes. Other times it could just be fear disguised as ease–fear of the unknown, of expansion, or something new. It can erode the walled gardens we build that make us feel safe and in control. I don't blame us for doing so as we have been conditioned by thousands of years of evolution to do so, and yet, now that life conditions are so good, do we really need to be so comfortable?

Whether you like the status quo because it makes you feel safe and secure, or love the road less taken because it excites you, you should probably aim to do the opposite of your proclivity. Why? For the sake of creating balance. Since balance brings harmony, we should pursue it. If we are too rigid, we need to loosen up. If we are too prone to risk-taking, maybe we need to pull it back a little. Balance.

Take-offs and landings are about mini-cycles of beginnings and endings. So why not? Maybe you're afraid the trip will be shorter than you hoped it would be, and maybe it will be longer? Maybe your other plans weren't as good as these new plans. Maybe you will have delays. Maybe those delays will change your life in ways you could never imagine, for the better.

Ultimately, it's about disrupting ourselves–our self-concept and our idea of where we think our lives are heading.

We don't know, if we are honest. So, where are you afraid to take off? To land?

Soul-Prompt: Am I afraid of stepping out of my comfort zone? Why? Could I be afraid I'm losing control? If so, of what?